Wire rope



R. D. GREEN.

WIRE ROPE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 8, I920.

Patented Feb. 7, 1922 UNITED STATES PATENT orFicE.

RICHARD DUANE GREEN, OF TRENTON, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO JOHN A. ROEBLINGS SONS COMPANY, OF TRENTON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION on [NEW JERSEY..

WIRE ROPE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. *7, 1922.

Application filed January 8, 1920. Serial No. 350,151.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known .that I, RICHARD DUANE GREEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Trenton, county of Mercer, and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in \Vire Ropes, fully described and represented in the following specification and the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the same.

Wire ropes forgeneral hoisting purposes, where sheave work requires considerable flexibility, are generally formed with a fibre core of manila or other suitable fibre and the wire strands are laid up helically on this core. v

\Vith particularly heavy duties such as encountered in present day commercial use, the excessive tension, by a concentration of pressure on thefibre strands, or the like, eventually causes disintegration of the fibre core. When the fibre core thus ceases to function, the wire strands are supported only by each other,'and the result is a tendency of the strand wires to nick. This nicking not only shortens the life of the rope, but tends to lock the strands, thus restricting strand and wire movement when the rope is used in sheaves, causing the wires to break. i

It is the especial object of the present invention to provide a heavy duty wire rope such that. the fibre core is given a higher compressive resistance :and nicking of the strand wires is prevented, and an extended bearing for the rope strands is provided, thus making possible a wire rope of higher efiiciency and longer life. The invention is applicable generally to wire rope, however, whether desired for light or heavy duty.

lVith this general object in view, the invention consists in the combination, details of construction and arrangementsof parts which will first be described in connection with the accompanying drawing and then more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawing Figure l is a plan view, with parts broken away, of a wire rope embodying the invention; and

Figure 2 is a' cross-sectional view taken through the completed rope.

Referring to the drawing, there is provided a fibre core 11 shown as formed of a number of strands laid up helically in the usual mannerof" a fibre core. This core may be-constructed of manila, or any other suitable fibre.

To prevent a concentration of pressure on the strands of the core, the invention includes a tenacious protector for the core, and in structures embodying the invention to the best advantage, this protector is laid up on the core to place the same under an initial compression. Although capable of various constructions, in the present embodiment, there is provided a tenacious protector in the form of a narrow, fiat, steel band or fiat wire 12. This band or flat wire is laid up helically on the fibre core under considerable tension, so that the core is placed under an initial compression. The band or fiat wire 12 is preferably so laid up that the'edges of adjacent convolutions are substantially contiguous so as to fully enclose the core and hold the lubrication therein. These edges are shown as square but they may be rounded if desired, and this may be preferable, especially in large ropes, as avoiding all possibility of the edges cutting the core. A half round or similar form of band may be used, with the rounded side next the core, which will taper off the pressure on the core, and reduce the liability to injuring the core in bending over sheaves. For convenience in manufacture, the protecting band 12 may be of several alternating pieces, two being shown in the drawings.

Laid up about the protected core are a plurality of wire strands .13, each strand preferably consisting of a plurality of individual small wires. These wires are preferably of high carbon steel and are helically laid up on each other in the usual manner of making wire rope strands. Although six wire strands of nineteen wires each are shown, it is understood that any other suitable arrangement may be used.

The protecting band 12, here illustrated, is preferably formed of high carbon steel that is hard enough to resist any substan tial deformation under pressure of the wire strands. To provide a suitable extended bearing for the wire strands and to aid in preventing nicking of the high carbon steel wires of the strands, the invention includes separating bearers for the wire'strands substantially conforming to the shape thereof. In structures embodying the invention. to the best advantage, these separating bearers are previously shaped to conform substantially to the shape of the wire strands. Although capable of various constructions, in that shown, helically laid up on the protected core are a plurality of separating bearers 4, equal in number to the wire strands 13. These bearers are laid up on the core with the same pitch as the rope strands [13 and so as to lie between them. In the particular embodiment illustrated as an example, the separating bearers separate the wire strands from one another as well as from the protected core. To this end, the bearer is shaped to the three sided, concave-faced form shown in the drawing, which provides for each separating bearer a rib 15 which extends between two adjacent strands and separates them. On each side of the ribs 15 are wing portions 16 which separate the strands from the protected core. v

The separating bearers 14 may be made of hard steel or of soft, annealed steel. In the latter case, there will be some deformation of the bearers under the tension exerted in laying up the wire strands, which deformation is increased when the completed rope is placed under high tension work. mation causes the bearers to more fully conform to the configuration of the strands and the shape of the bearing surfaces' In either case, that is to say, with either hard or soft, deformable separating bearers, the result is an improved rope. WVith the construction described, the pressure of the wire strands is taken by the protecting band 12 and the compressed core 11. This prevents direct pressure of the strands on the fibre core. The initial pressure given the fibre core in laying .up the protecting band flattens out, to a certain extent, the corrugations of the fibre strands, thus presenting a more cylindrical surface to the protector. The separating bearers 14 give an extended bearing to the wire strands .and separate them from one another and from the protected core.

As a result of the construction described, concentration of pressure on the fibre strands is prevented, the fibre core has a much higher compressive resistance, and the life of the V rope is prolonged. Further, nicking of the wires is prevented, the strands and wire move more freely, better lubrication is made possible, and the rope is more flexible and has a higher efficiency, that is, a higher per centage of the total strength of the component wires, than the usual fibre center ropes.

While the invention has been described in connection with the usual fibre or rope Such defor-.

strand cores, and is especially valuable in such use, it will be understood that the invention, considered broadly, is applicable also with other compressible cores, as defined by the claims.

lVhat is claimed is:

1. A wire rope comprising a compressible core, a tenacious metal protector therefor, a plurality of wire strands laid up helically about the protected core, and separating bearers for the wire strands, substantially conforming to the shape thereof.

2. A wire rope comprising a compressible core, .a tenacious protector laid up on the core to place the same under an initial compression, a plurality of wire strands laid up helically about the protected core, and separating bearersfor the wire strands, substantially conforming to the shape thereof.

3. A wire rope comprising a compressible core, a tenacious protector therefor, a plurality of wire strands laid up helically about the protected core, separating bearers for the wire strands substantially conforming to the shape thereof and formed of metal softer than the strand wires.

4. A wire rope comprising a compressible core, a hard, tenacious protector laid up on the core to place the same under an initial compression, a plurality of wire strands laid up helically about the protected core, separating bearers for the wire strands substantially conforming to the shape thereof and formed of metal softer than the strand wires and the protector.

5. A wire rope comprising a compressible core, a tenacious protector therefor, a plurality of wire strands laid up helically about the protected core, separating bearers for the wire strands shaped to have separating ribs extending between the strands.

6. A wire rope comprising a compressible core, a tenacious protector therefor, a plurality of wire strands laid up helically about the protected core, and separating bearers for the wire strands shaped to have separating ribs extendingbetween adjacent strands and wing portions on each side of said ribs for separating the strands from the protected core. I

7. A wire rope comprising a compressible core, a tenacious protector therefor, a plurality of wire strands laid up helically about the protected core, and separating bearers for the wire strands previously shaped to substantially conform to the shape thereof.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

RICHARD DUANE GREEN. 

